The Northwestern Water and Sewer District has received a grant to study the feasibility of establishing an emergency water connection link to service customers in the event of a consumption ban like that issued by the City of Toledo last August.

The grant for $50,000 was issued through the Local Government Innovation Program of the Ohio Development Services Agency.

During the ban, district personnel discussed how to construct an emergency link from the City of Perrysburg’s water system, which receives water from Toledo, to the Bowling Green system.

The district purchases Toledo water for its customers in the northwest portion of Wood County – with most of those customers located west of I-280. Most of the customers to the east receive water from the City of Oregon, which, like Bowling Green, wasn’t affected by Toledo’s water advisory.

The Oregon Planning Commission on June 16, in a split vote, recommended that a request for a Special Use Exemption (SUE) permit to raise chickens in a residential area on S. Wynn Road be denied.

David Pullella originally made the request to raise no more than six chickens, four rabbits, two ducks, two goats, four turkeys, two swans and four pheasants at 935 S. Wynn Road. The property is in a low density residential district. His request was later amended for a permit to raise just the six chickens.

The Project Review Committee had no objections to the request, but recommended that a plan be submitted and approved for waste removal and housing.

Pullella said his immediate plans are to raise the chickens to lay eggs.

The Lake Township trustees haven’t committed to developing a section of township-owned property into a dog park, but they’ve given the township’s park supervisor the authorization to apply for grants to fund amenities for a dog park.

The trustees Tuesday gave the go-ahead to Ron Hanely to apply to the Wood County Parks District for grants that would fund benches, trash and pick-up stations, dog agility equipment and fencing.

Hanely recently floated the idea of developing a dog park at the property adjacent to the township’s former dispatching center on Lemoyne Road but the trustees haven’t decided to proceed with the proposal.

Hanely last week said the deadline for applying for grant money from the park district for 2016 is June 26. Successful applicants will be notified in November or December and grants will be awarded in April of next year.

He said he’s visited dog parks in south Toledo and in Danbury Township to get opinions from dog owners about those facilities.

The newest member of the Woodmore school board hopes a lawsuit against him over his appointment to the board will result in clarifying the relevant legal issues and the board can get back to business.

Dan Hoppe, whose appointment is being challenged in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court, said he was, in effect, a bystander in the appointment process but looks forward to a resolution of the matter.

“Although I am disappointed the Sandusky County Prosecutor’s Office has chosen to focus their efforts on me personally, I welcome this opportunity to clarify the law and be a part of a solution that is best for the Woodmore School District,” Hoppe said in an email message to The Press. “As a dedicated member of our schools’ community, I look forward to clarity and justice so that we may be able to focus on real as opposed to perceived challenges and opportunities within our district. It is unfortunate that a dispute has developed over the process by which I was selected, a process in which I was essentially a bystander. I volunteered to serve on the board to help improve our district and I look forward to doing just that.”

Oregon City Council on Monday will consider accepting the lowest and best bids from three contractors for the 2015 road program.

Mayor Mike Seferian said at a committee of the whole meeting last week that the city will spend $1.8 million in its road program this year. Last year, the city spent $1 million to repair roads.

“I think all of us take pride in the fact that this year will probably be one of the biggest road programs we’ve ever experienced,” said Seferian.

When putting together this year’s budget, Seferian said there was some discussion about spending up to $2 million for this year’s road program.

“We spoke of possibly spending $1 million with an additional $1 million when we talked about the road program in the budget. We’re very close to the $2 million figure. Before it’s all said and done, with some possible change orders, we may even exceed that,” he said.